The Uptake of Vanadium(V) and Other Metals by the Isolated Branchial Sacs of the Ascidians Ascidia ceratodes, Ciona intestinalis, and Styela montereyensis

Abstract

Isolated branchial sacs from the phlebobranch ascidian Ascidia ceratodes take up vanadium (V), to a level four times greater than the uptake by branchial sacs from the aplousobranch and stolidobranch ascidians Ciona intestinalis and Styela montereyensis, respectively. These differences in vanadium uptake may be important in the observed enhanced accumulation of vanadium in the blood cells of A. ceratodes compared to those of C. intestinalis and S. montereyensis. The uptake of iron (lll) by branchial sacs of S. montereyensis, C. intestinalis, and A. ceratodes increases in that order, but iron uptake by A. ceratodes is substantially less than that of vanadium. Branchial sacs from A. ceratodes accumulate manganese (ll) to a lesser degree than iron (lll), and mercury (ll) to a greater degree than vanadium (V).